


Cats and Dogs

by commanderspectre



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/M, Horror, Psychological Horror
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-08 09:52:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11079147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commanderspectre/pseuds/commanderspectre
Summary: There's something not quite right with the people of Kadara, something running under in the Port that kicks off Sara's fight or flight response. But she has business on Kadara, and the Initiative wants an outpost there. As Pathfinder, that's her job. Sloane Kelly is impossible to work with, so she coordinates with Reyes Vidal, a smuggler and contact of the Angaran Resistance.Tensions are building between the two factions, the Outcasts and the Collective and when it finally boils over, she may just learn that monsters are real and they wear a human face.





	1. Chapter 1

Sara knew the moment that she had landed on Kadara Port that she had stepped in it. Figuratively speaking, of course. Or maybe literally, if the squelching sounds under her boot was any indication. She was still grumbling to herself, scraping her boot off on the edge of stair when she felt like she was being watched. She was used to people staring at her at this point, because being a part of the Andromeda Initiative and a human had that perk, but this felt different.  _ Vastly  _ different.

Looking up slowly, she met the eyes of an Asari who was leaning over the edge of a merchant’s counter, her gaze unblinking and a little eerie as she stared at her. Sara moved her head at her like “Yes, can I help you?” but the look never faltered or changed. Mentally shaking it off, she headed up the steps into Kralla’s Song, having a meeting with a contact of the Angaran Resistance there, codename: Shena.

The bar was dimly lit, the only real lighting coming from the Kadaran sunset off on the horizon. She perked a grin as the Asari bartender stared down a Krogan who tried to stiff his bill, heading around the other side of the bar.

“I’ll be with you in a minute.” The Asari said, not looking up from the class she was wiping down with a dirty rag.

“Take your time, I’m in no rush.” Sara said, leaning against the bar on her forearms. The air inside was still but not stuffy, the first drafts of night time cool air starting to come in through the open wall with a railing. Despite the hoodie she wore, a small shiver ran down her spine as a breeze caught her just right, cutting through the sweater.

“You look like you’re waiting for someone.” The voice was deep and smooth with a hint of accent and she looked over, seeing the man standing there with a small smile pulling at his full lips. She was about to tell him to piss off, that she wasn’t interested, when she saw the knowing look he was giving her.

“Shena?” She asked and the smile widened a notch.

“Call me Reyes,” He tapped the bar and the bartender set two drinks down in front of him. Taking them, he offered one to her. “I hate codenames.” There was a pause before she took it.

“Thank you.” She said and he tapped his glass against hers before they both drank. The alcohol burned down her throat but warmed her as it hit her stomach and they set the now empty glasses down on the bar, the Asari taking them away. “No offense, but I was expecting someone more...Angaran.”

“None taken.” Reyes said, “Evfra and the Resistence pay me to supply them with information, and other things.”

“You’re a smuggler.” Sara made it a statement, not a question and his hazel eyes twinkled in amusement.

“Among other things, yes.” She followed him as he pushed away from the bar, going to lean against the railing. “Evfra told me about Vehn Terev. You should know Sloane Kelly knows about his betrayal of the Moshae and had him arrested a few days ago. The people are calling for his head on a stake and Sloane is a woman of the people.” The small amount of venom in his voice at the end of the statement piqued her curiosity, but she let it go.

 “Dress it up however you want, she’s a criminal.” Sara said, looking over the landscape. “Evfra wants him on Aya to answer for what he did.”

 “Sloane hates the Initiative, she’ll never give him up willingly.” Reyes said and Sara gave a sound devoid of all humor.

 “There’s not a lot she could do to stop me.”

 “We’re going to be friends, you and I.” Reyes said with a small chuckle, bumping his shoulder against hers affectionately and she spared him another glance. Now that she knew he wasn’t some drunk trying to get lucky, she gave herself a longer moment of inspection. He was handsome, in a way, skin a few shades lighter than hers, thick black hair in a military high and tight cut. The armor he wore was understated, but clung to a lean, muscular form. “If you are going to try to get him out, you’re going to need help. I have a few contacts in the Collective that would gladly throw sand in Sloane’s face. You talk to her while I coordinate with them and we’ll meet later.” He pushed away from the railing, heading for the door.

“How do I contact you if things go south?” She asked after him and he turned, his lips curling in a smirk as he gave her a wink, leaving the bar. “Not an answer, buddy.” She grumbled as she went to leave, too.

“Hey!” The Asari bartender snapped and she looked at her, “Pay up!”

With a roll of her eyes, she brought up her omni-tool. Of course he hadn’t paid.

“Keep the change.” She said as she transferred the credits, leaving the bar.

As Sara walked through Kadara Port, she could feel eyes on her again and when she looked around, the gazes were just as eerie and unblinking as the Asari shopkeeper from before. It was strange, but as long as all they did was stare, she didn’t have a problem.

The door opened to the “throne room” of sorts in the Outcast Headquarters and she got another shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the climate. There was almost something...predatory about the feeling in the room, but she pushed past it, approaching Sloane Kelly sitting in the chair shadowed by slants of light from the blinds. Dramatic.

“What the hell does the Initiative want in Kadara?” Sloane asked and Sara gave a mental shrug. If Sloane Kelly wasn’t going to beat around the bush, neither was she.

“Vehn Terev.” Sara said.

“Not happening. The Angara in the city want him dead for betraying some cultural leader to the Kett, and I’m going to give him what they want.”

“That’s not your call.” Sara said, “Evfra wants him extradited back to Aya for judgement.”

“I don’t give a fuck what Evfra wants.”

“Moreover, he has information that  _ I _ need. A possible location to the Kett leader.”

“And I don’t give a fuck what  _ you _ want, Pathfinder.” Sloane spat it, “Now get the fuck out.” She was getting nowhere.

“Your Highness.” Sara said, giving her a mocking bow complete with hand twirls before leaving, heading back out in the marketplace.

 “Ryder.” She looked over at her name, seeing Reyes standing there leaning against a crate and she went over to him. “I take it things didn’t go well with Sloane?”

“She completely stonewalled me.” Sara said and Reyes gave a humorless snort.

“Figured she would. She was a part of the mutiny on the Nexus and I already mentioned how she hates the Initiative.” Reyes said and suddenly pulled her close with a hand at her low back, Sara blinking in surprise, looking up at him as he slipped something into the pocket of her hoodie. “This will melt through the bars of wherever they’re holding him.” His voice dropped to an enticing purr, “I have a Resistance contact waiting to extract him once he’s out and take him back to Aya.” He was holding her close enough to feel the warmth seeping through his armor, the spicy scent of him filling her nose making her swallow heavily. “There’s a maintenance hatch in the alleyway back there that will take you to the holding cells past the guards, but I would move quickly.”

“Why’s that?” She asked, her voice a little breathless.

"Sun is setting soon, you’ll want to be back on your ship when that happens.” Reyes said, looking down at her with eyes that had changed to a warm amber.

“Why?” She was starting to sound like a broken record.

“Kadara Port isn’t safe during the day, not one-hundred percent, but it’s more dangerous at night.” Reyes said and steered them around, “Now, go. I’ll contact you tomorrow.” He was suddenly gone, heading down the steps and she shivered as the dusk chill rushed in where his warmth had been.

Getting the all-clear from SAM, she headed down the alley and lifted the maintenance hatch, dropping down among the pipes. The area was clear of guards and quiet and she approached the cell, seeing the male Angaran sitting inside looking at his hands.

“Vehn Terev?” She asked and he looked up.

“More questions?” He said, looking back down.

“Yes and no. My name is Sara Ryder, I’m a Pathfinder with the Initiative. I want to ask you about your contact in the Kett and I have your ticket out of here.” She said. That got his attention and he stood, approaching the bars.

“What do you want to know?” He asked, “I’m assuming this is about the Moshae.”

“Where did you meet the Kett to arrange for the Moshae’s capture?”

“I didn’t, at least not in person. We communicated through transmissions on a datapad. I buried it out in the Badlands before I was arrested. Find the datapad, you might be able to trace the transmissions.”

“Where did you bury it?”

“I’ll have the navpoint sent to you.” Vehn said and Sara went to the bars, giving him the device Reyes had given her.

“This will get you out. There’s a Resistance agent waiting to take you back to Aya.”

“When the guards change, I’ll leave.” He said and she nodded, turning to walk away. “Pathfinder--Ryder.” She stopped, looking over her shoulder at him. “There’s something...wrong with the people here.”

 "What do you mean?”

 “I don’t know, it’s just a feeling, but some of the people here. There’s something not quite right about them.” Vehn said and her mind flashed back to the stares, the unblinking gazes of those in the Port as she walked through.

 “Goodbye Vehn.”


	2. Chapter 2

Sometime during the night there had been a murder in Kadara Port, Sara heard about it the moment she stepped off the ship. An Angaran, cut to pieces and left out in the open. Sloane Kelly had said that it was the Charlatan’s work, but no one was buying it. From what she had heard of the Charlatan, the shadowy leader of the Collective, they were more likely to make someone disappear than mutilate and leave in the street. The rest of Kadara Port seemed to be of a like mind, though no one would admit it in case Sloane thought that they were questioning her.

 SAM had suggested that she talk to Reyes about it, seeing as Sloane was more likely to tell her to fuck off again than help her. Vetra and Drack were her backup as she took the lift down to the Slums, SAM informing her that “Mr. Vidal” could be found in the bar Tartarus in the center of the Slums.

 Making her way up the stairs, the door slid open and she stood there for a bit to let her eyes adjust to the sudden smoky gloom.

 “This place smells weird.” Drack said and they both looked at him.

 “What?” Sara asked.

 “The smell of this place is off.”

 “Off, how?” Vetra asked but the Krogan shrugged.

 “No idea, but it’s making my plates itch.”

 “It’s probably just the sulfur mixing with everything else.” Sara suggested and they walked into the bar, heading for the back room. The door opened as they approached and her attention immediately went to Reyes, sitting on a curved couch against the wall. His eyes lifted as she walked up and the slow drag over her form made her face heat.

 “Ryder.” He said, “I was just about to call you.”

 “Were you now?” She asked and his lips curled slightly before he suddenly sobered.

 “I’m sure you’ve heard about the murder.” He said and she nodded.

 “Sloane says it was the Charlatan.” Sara said and he gave a shake of his head.

 “I don’t buy it.” Reyes said, “Even from my meager dealings with the Collective, I could tell you that it’s not their style. Easier to pin the blame on a faceless entity, than actually look for the truth.”

 “What do you think is going on?” Sara asked.

 “The Angaran this morning wasn’t the first body, there have been several others. All stabbed or shot, all left out in the open. Someone is sending a message, but to who?”

 “Sloane Kelly doesn’t exactly have a way with people.”

 “Less than a third of the victims were Outcasts. _I_ think it was the Roekaar.” Reyes said and Sara perked a brow at him.

 “What’s your reasoning?”

 “Kadara Port was Angaran built, and before the Kett, Angaran run. Then Sloane swooped in and while she made a good show of “befriending” the Angara, she still runs the show with little regard to the natives. From my own digging, I’ve found that all the victims were either from the Milky Way, or sympathized with us.”

 “So they were either invaders, or traitors. From the Roekaar perspective.” Sara said and he nodded.

 “Exactly.” Reyes said, “This is all speculation, of course, but you wanted to get to the bottom of it, there’s a murder scene not to far from here in the Badlands. Check it out, have your SAM scan for details and try to find evidence of Roekaar involvement.”

 “Sounds like I’m an important part of your investigation.” That earned her another small smile.

 “Your AI is important, you’re a bonus.”  He said with a wink and she felt her face flush again.  “I’ll send you the navpoint to the murder scene. Let me know when you’re there.” Her omnitool lit up as she got it and she went over the details.

 “That’s convenient.” She mumbled.

 “What is?” Reyes asked with a questioning look and she paused for a moment, debating on how much to tell him.

 “Vehn Terev sent me a navpoint for a datapad that he buried with information about the Kett. The murder scene is basically in the same area. Good thing I have business in the Badlands regardless.” Sara said and he gave her another seeking look, “The planet has monoliths, which means there’s a vault, which means if I can activate the monoliths and reset the vault, it might get a little more liveable out there. Not right away, but over time. Sloane won’t be able to charge criminal fees for filtered water if you can just go outside and fill up a bottle of clean water yourself.”

“You can do that?” He sounded a little skeptical and she didn’t blame him.

“Worked on Eos.” Sara said with a shrug.

“Havarl.” Vetra supplied.

“Voeld.” Drack chimed in.

“Just try to be back in Port before dark.” Reyes reminded her and she nodded.

“Will do, thanks Reyes.”

“Sara, one last thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Be careful. The Port is one thing, the Badlands are something else entirely.”

“You worried about me?” Sara asked, the corner of her lips pulling in a smirk. “Thank you, but I can take care of myself.” He wasn’t smiling.

“Really. I’ve been on Kadara longer than you have, I know what’s out there better than you do. It’s not just scavengers and pirates, or the local wildlife. So, be careful.” He said and there was a spark of mischief in his eyes. “Don’t want to have to tell the Nexus their Pathfinder got herself eaten.  _ That’s _ an awkward conversation I don’t need to have.”

“Got it, Reyes.” She said with a smile, shaking her head. Sara turned to leave, but stopped, pausing before looking back at him. “I have to know. Your codename, what’s it mean?”

“Shena?” Reyes asked and she nodded, “It’s Shelesh, it means uh---” He rubbed at the back of his neck, his ears turning pink. “Mouth. Because I’m good with words.”

"Just words?”

 "Well, I’ve certainly never heard any complaints about the other things I can do with it.” That backfired on her in a big way, her whole body feeling like it was going to burst into flames at the smouldering look he was giving her.

 "Human mating rituals are so adorable.” Vetra said and Sara turned on her.

 “Okay, we’re leaving!” She said in a rush, ushering Drack and Vetra from the room.

Kadara was bigger than she anticipated, trips in the Nomad from one monolith to the other taking hours, mostly due to people attacking her as she went past and them jumping out to deal with it before getting back on their way. Vetra made the comment about how they could just keep driving past, but Sara made the point that while  _ they _ might be able to defend themselves, the next people the outlaws attack might not be able to.

SAM helped with deciphering the Remnant language, but it still took a fair amount of concentration on her part, leaving her tired with a growing migraine after activating the second monolith.

“Hey,” Vetra said, “The sun’s going down, we should head back.”

“Not a good idea, it’ll be full dark by the time we get back and they lock the gate and put a barrier up to keep things from jumping the fence.” Drack said, “We’ll have to make shelter out here.”

“We’re not all going to fit in the Nomad for the night.” Vetra said.

“Won’t have to.” Sara said, sounding as exhausted as she felt. “Didn’t we clear an elevated prefab from Outlaws not too far back?”

“Sure did, kid.” Drack said. “We could drag the bodies out bit to attract predators away from us and set up camp there for the night.”

“They’d do the same to us.” Sara said and stumbled her way to the Nomad, Vetra helping her climb up.

“You want me to drive?” She asked but Sara shook her head, settling in behind the controls.

 "I need to concentrate on something. SAM mark the Nomad’s nav with the prefab based on the map and our path.”

  _Yes, Pathfinder. Navpoint has been marked._

 The sun continued to sink below the horizon as they drove back to the prefab unit towering over the landscape, setting the sky ablaze with reds and oranges before fading to blues and purples. Dusk had truly fallen before they got back, parking the Nomad behind a boulder for safekeeping and getting out.

 “Guard duty, two hour rotations.” Sara said as they took care of the bodies, dragged them away from the unit, Drack slinging more than one over his shoulders. “I’ll go first, then Vetra, then Drack. Get some sleep between rotations, we’ll set out again at dawn.”

“Got it, kid.” Drack said, looting powercells from one of the bodies, the armor colors marking them as a member of the Outcasts along with the others.

“These guys have been set up here for a while, there should be food and water inside.” Vetra said as they climbed the stairs into the main unit, “We’ll see what we can dig up. You going to be okay out here by yourself?”

“I have a thermal scope on my rifle, if I hear anything I’ll take a look.” Sara said, stopping outside the door and dragging a crate over, hopping up to sit on it. “Get something to eat and get some rest, I’ll come get you when it’s your shift.” Vetra pat her shoulder a couple times as she and Drack retreated into the unit, the door closing behind them.

Sara wouldn’t turn her armor light on if she didn’t need to, not wanting to attract any predators to a light in the dark. Like all desert ecosystems, Kadara was hot during the day and cold at night. Chill was starting to seep in through her underarmor and she brought up her omni-tool, adjusting the environmental stabilizers on her armor until the chill lessened. It wouldn’t go away completely, but the tweaks helped. 

“Two hours. Let’s do this.” She muttered to herself and got comfortable for the watch.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave Comments not Kudos


End file.
